Thai Cat History (by Amy Adolph) [1]

In Thailand this elegant cat is known as the Wichien-Maat. For centuries it has been described in the book of the Tamara Maew, which has been transcribed by Martin Clutterbuck in the book Siamese Cats: Legends and Reality (2004)[2]. In the late 1800s, the Wichien-Maat was imported to England to develop into our beloved and popular show-style Siamese. Over the years, the Wichien-Maat has stayed true to its original breeding, which is still seen today in Thailand, and it remains a popular cat. While the Wichien-Maat, also known as the Thai, has common ancestry with the Western Siamese, generations of separate breeding of these two beloved cats have spearheaded the development of two distinct breeds.

In America, the show Siamese dominated in the show halls beginning in the 1950s, while a few select breeders worked diligently to maintain the look of the first imported Siamese from Thailand. It is well known that in the early 20th century more Wichien-Maat were imported from Thailand to England and from England throughout most of the Western world. As the new look increased in popularity, breeders in England, Europe, and North America unknowingly joined forces to preserve the look of the old-style Siamese first imported, and the cat still commonly seen today in Thailand as the Wichien-Maat.

In the early 1990’s a pioneering German woman named Beatrix Rahn of Von Falkenhöhe Cattery[3] introduced a Siamese cat that represented the classic look of the old-style Siamese to the show halls in Europe. Rahn fondly called the cat “Thai.” Her enthusiasm and dedication to revitalizing the old look using Siamese bloodlines inspired many European breeders to begin breeding and showing a cat called “Thai.” As a result, numerous independent clubs developed their own breed standards so their members would promote these beautiful cats. Across the Atlantic in North America, a breeder named Dr. Cristy Bird of Sarsenstone Cattery[4] worked passionately to preserve old bloodlines that were not seen in the show-style Siamese. Bird went one step further and courageously went to Thailand to import new bloodlines. Together, American and European breeders began sharing bloodlines and working cooperatively through a small breed club called the Prestwick-Beresford Old-Style Siamese Breed Preservation Society (PREOSSIA)[5]. In 2006 a proposal went forward to recognize the Old-Style Siamese as “Thai” in The International Cat Association (TICA), [6] and some members of PREOSSIA met in Hannover, Germany, to introduce the Thai breed proposal.

The PREOSSIA members worked tirelessly with the TICA Siamese and Tonkinese breed committees and Vice President Nancy Parkinson. Together they crafted a breed standard that represented the Old-Style Siamese of the 1800s and the Wichien-Maat commonly seen in Thailand. On February 17, 2007, several PREOSSIA members witnessed the historical event by the TICA executive committee, who unanimously voted to accept the Thai breed standard for Preliminary New Breed.

The uniqueness of the Thai breed is that it not only is a moderate-looking pointed cat, but also has the potential to produce healthy and genetically diversified show cats that will likely continue inspiring generations of Siamese enthusiasts. The breed standard for the Thai allowed for the permissible outcross of both Western Siamese registered with major registries and imported Wichien-Maat. The distinctive characteristics that separated the Thai from the Western Siamese and Tonkinese played a major role in the acceptance of the Thai in the show halls.

COPYRIGHT NOTE:  Feel free to distribute this information, but please honor my request to make sure you provide the appropriate credit, foot notes and a link to my website, even if you quote, reference or paraphrase.

[1] Adolph, Amy. (2007). Thai Cat History. Evinea Cattery: http://www.evineacats.com  (or) http://www.siamesethai.com

[2] Clutterbuck, Martin R. (2004). Siamese Cats: Legends and Reality. Bangkok: White Lotus.

[3] Rahn, Beatrix. Von Falkenhöhe Cattery: http://www.falkenhoehe-siamesen.de

[4] Bird, Cristy Dr. Sarsenstone Cattery: http://home.earthlink.net/~sarsenstone

[5] The Prestwick-Beresford Old-Style Siamese Breed Preservation Society (PREOSSIA): http://www.oldstylesiamese.com

[6] The International Cat Association (TICA): http://www.tica.org

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